Using translation methods and procedures in teaching English-Vietnamese translation for students of Lang Son College of Education

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ********************* HOÀNG THỊ HƢƠNG GIANG Using translation methods and procedures in teaching EnglishVietnamese translation for students of Lang Son College of Education Ứng dụng phƣơng pháp thủ thuật dịch vào dạy dịch Anh-Việt cho Sinh viên trƣờng Cao đẳng sƣ phạm Lạng sơn M.A MINOR PROGRAMMETHESIS FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTIC CODE: 8220201.01 Hanoi, 2018 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ******  ****** HOÀNG THỊ HƢƠNG GIANG Using translation methods and procedures in teaching EnglishVietnamese translation for students of Lang Son College of Education Ứng dụng phƣơng pháp thủ thuật dịch vào dạy dịch Anh-Việt cho Sinh viên trƣờng Cao đẳng sƣ phạm Lạng sơn M.A MINOR PROGRAMMETHESIS FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTIC CODE: 8220201.01 SUPERVISOR: Assoc Prof Dr Le Hung Tien Hanoi, 2018 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project report entitled Using translation methods and procedures in teaching English-Vietnamese translation for students of Lang Son College of Education(Ứng dụng phƣơng pháp thủ thuật dịch vào dạy dịch AnhViệt cho Sinh viên trƣờng Cao đẳng sƣ phạm Lạng sơn.) submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in English Language Except where the reference is indicated, no other person‟s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the text of the thesis Lang Son, 2018 Hoang Thi Huong Giang Approved by SUPERVISOR Assoc Prof Dr Le Hung Tien i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis could not have been completed without the help and support from a number of people First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Assoc Prof Dr Le Hung Tien, my supervisor, who has patiently and constantly supported me through the stages of the study, and whose stimulating ideas, expertise, and suggestions have inspired me greatly through my growth as an academic researcher A special word of thanks goes to all the lectures of the Master course at Hanoi National University and many others, without whose support and encouragement it would never have been possible for me to have this thesis accomplished Last but not least, I am greatly indebted to my family, my friends for the sacrifice they have devoted to the fulfillment of this academic work ii ABSTRACT The ability to choose the correct translation methods and procedures is an indispensable skill; therefore it is essential for translation students to be aware of why particular methods and procedures are used The study aimed at exploring the difficulties that face the students of Lang Son College of Education in the translation process from English to Vietnamese The researcher attempted to find suitable translation methods and procedures that applied for English major students at Lang Son College of Education The author followed an action research in the study and designed survey questionnaire and a test in order to explore the difficulties and problems that face these students There are eight survey questionnaires, three interview questions and a test The study was conducted on the English students of DK7-NNA at Lang Son College of Education that applied the suitable statistical methods in the research At the end of the study, the researcher offered numerous recommendations and suggestions iii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Students‟ attitude toward translation course Table 2: The biggest challenge that students have to face when translating a passage from English to Vietnamese iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF TABLES iv PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale of the study Aims of the study Scope of the study Methods of the study Organization of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 1 Translation definition 1.2 Types of translation 1.2.1 Word-for-word translation 1.2.2 Literal translation 1.2 Faithful translation 1.2.4 Semantic translation 1.2.5 Adaptation translation 1.2.6 Free translation 1.2.7 Idiomatic translation 1.2.8 Communicative translation: 1.3 Translation process 1.4 Translation principles 1.5 Translation Equivalence 1.6 Translation procedures and methods 11 1.7 Translation strategies 16 v CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY 19 2.1 Research aims 19 2.2 Research participants 19 2.3 Research methods 19 2.3.1 What is “Action research”? 20 2.3.2 Steps for doing action research 21 2.4 Data collection instruments 22 2.4.1 Research questionnaires 22 2.4.2 The interview questions: 23 2.4.3 Test 23 CHAPTER III: MAIN FINDINGS 25 3.1 Problem identification 25 3.1.1 General information about English major and translation courses at Lang Son College of Education 25 3.1.2 Students‟ attitude toward translation course 26 3.1.3 Problems students faced while learning English-Vietnamese translation 27 3.1.4 Students‟ expectation to translation course 31 3.2 Plan of action 34 3.3 Data collection 35 3.4 Analysis of data 35 Plan for future action 45 PART C: CONCLUSION 46 Overview and summary of the thesis 46 The meanings of the thesis 47 Suggestions for further research and final comments 47 REFERENCES 50 APPENDIX .I vi PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the study Translation plays an increasingly important role of people life, when the process of integration is taking place almost everywhere in the world Despite the fact that English has a far and wide reach today, the impact of local culture and language remains as strong as ever With the growth of Internet and communications technology, it is relatively easier to reach audiences that are thousands of miles away purely on the back of effective translation This in turn has resulted in a need for translation in diverse fields such as education, mass communication, science and technology, literature, tourism, religion, trade and business, etc However, it is extremely difficult for students to have a valid translation because a good translation depends on a large variety of factors Moreover, students have to face some problems during translating texts First of all, the topic of the text, it may involve in many fields in culture and social such as: politic, art, music, sport, entertainment, nature, travel, ethnic, religion, tale, idiom…Another one is grammar and vocabulary The words that are really hard to translate are frequently the small, common words, whose precise meaning depends heavily on context Besides, some words are untranslatable when one wishes to remain in the same grammatical category The question of whether particular words are untranslatable is frequently debated For example, it isn't easily to translate a poetry because you need to analyze the words and meaning and after the flow and rhythm Poetry's most translations are bad Sometimes students lack of words and structures to express the meaning of the sentences In addition, students‟ general knowledge is limited so they are difficult to translate some specific aspects This is principally because the translatorknows the foreign language too well and his or her native language too poorly In addition, the differences of discourse between a source language and a target language make the process of translating a real challenge Among the problematic factors involved in translation such as form, meaning, style, proverbs, idioms, etc., Moreover, the methods and procedures are used in students‟ translating is limited, this mean that it is extremely hard to have a good translation Therefore, it is necessary to apply suitable methods and procedures for English major students and help them to find out what methods and procedures should be used to have good translation The thesis is going to concentrate mainly on the translation methods and procedures which should be used for English major students in translating texts at Lang Son College of Education Aims of the study The study is carried out with the following aims: -Finding out whether the specific translation methods and procedures that influence students‟ learning translation - Finding out how students‟ translation skill is improved The thesis answers these questions: -Do these methods and procedures improve students‟ translation? -Does this course effect on students‟ learning translation? Scope of the study This study aims at exploring translation methods and procedures for translating, which were proposed by famous names in translation, such as Peter Newmark, Catford, Mona Baker, Vinay and Darbelnet and is expected to offer practical advice for major students with detailed and suitable of the strategies used in translation However, because of limitation of time and my knowledge, my study could not cover all aspects of this theme I only focus on English – Vietnamese translation methods and procedures used for an English translation course at Lang Son College of Education 44 Plan for future action The students‟ translation work showed that they understood and applied the correct translation techniques Most of the reports indicated that the students adopted the correct translation techniques in their work, and the translation examples showed that the students understood what was taught in class The methods and procedures above are also some suggestions originated from the students‟ results in translation learning I, who used to experience translation course, would like to contribute some more suggestions with the hope to improve quality of learning and training at Lang Son College Last of all, some recommendations are expected to give to students of English, to teachers of English and for further research Students have to invest much more time and effort in studying translation by searching for and equipping themselves with more knowledge about translation techniques, cultures, societies and the world so as to enrich and specialize their translation skills Teachers provide students with profound techniques rather than wordfor-word translation or/and the traditional ways which the students have been taught However, Teachers should also widen students‟ knowledge by giving them translation assignments in various fields In view of limited time, this research cannot cover every aspect of translation and cannot even explore the presented techniques deeply For example, only proverbs were discussed in the expressions Hence, more research needs to be done on this field to help English users easily overcome their difficulties in translation and improve their translation competence 45 PART C: CONCLUSION Overview and summary of the thesis Every translation activity has one or more certain purposes, and whichever they may be, the main aim of translation is to serve as a cross-cultural bilingual communication vehicle among people in the world No one can deny the important of translation in the past few decades when this activity has been boosted because of rising international trade, increased migration, globalization and the expansion of the mass media and technology For those reasons, the translator plays an important role as a bilingual or multi-lingual cross- cultural transmitter of culture and idea by attempting to transfer the text as faithfully and accurately as possible However, it is not so easy for the students of English major to master translation skill as well as to become a professional translator The thesis is divided into three main chapters The theoretical background discussed in the thesis is mentioned in chapter 1, including the definitions of translation, the types of translation, the process of translation, the principles of translation, translation equivalence, methods and procedures of translation, and strategies for translation The basic concepts discussed in this chapter provide the readers with fundamental theories critical to the analysis of the study Chapter – Methodology mentions of the research methods applied in the study, including research questions, research participants, research procedure, and data collection instruments The researchers an action research to collect information from the students of English major in DK7-NNA, who are the beginners to study written translation Then we started to analyze and did statistics on the responses to questionnaire as well as the interview questions, analyze the quality of students‟ translation text to get the final result which 46 is mentioned in the next chapter- chapter 3: Main findings This chapter shows the action research in detail including five main cycles: problem identification, plan of action, data collection, data analysis and plan for future action The meanings of the thesis What the researchers attempt to in this thesis is to find out the most suitable methods and procedures for English major students at Lang Son College of Education and show how their translation was improved through an action research After the research was conducted, it could be claimed that using the translation methods and procedures such as replacement, transposition, addition, omission, transforming, etc improves the process and the results of learning English Translation The learners construct knowledge about translation techniques during translating process and use them flexibly Their translation method is not only translating word by word or using “Google translate” tool but they know how to combine all the methods and procedures to give the good quality translation text And through this researching, teachers understood students‟ weaknesses and their expectations toward translation process to improve their teaching methods Suggestions for further research and final comments Knowing how to translate is not synonymous to knowing how to teach translation, just as knowing how to teach a foreign language does not amount to knowing how to teach translation Nevertheless, as happens in terms of research, the field of translator education would have a lot to gain from the joining of both skills – teaching and doing translation The experience will be all the richer if we are to find in those who teach characteristics such as: selfcriticism, reflective thinking, pre-disposition to learn and to improve, a will to adapt and change according to the teaching and learning contexts in case Teachers of translation quite often come into the profession from a wide range of initial education/training which is not specifically directed 47 towards translation It may be true that a significant number of teachers have been put through teacher training programs, but then again, how many have actually been trained in teaching translation? Most of us, involved in translator education or translator training, naturally combine action with reflection We plan our work, we act, we observe the development of the action process and we reflect upon what worked, what did not work and what worked differently from the expected These concerns which are felt by many teachers and trainers who are eager to improve their practices in order to improve their students‟ and trainees‟ outcomes have been at the heart of most teaching strategies that have been used by many teachers and in many institutions educating and training translators Whatever effort has been made in conducting the research, there is still room for our study Some notions of these occurred in the course of doing this research However, due to the lack of time we cannot present them all From the practical point of view, we suggest further research should be focused on cultural overlap as well as cultural distance between English and Vietnamese which influence translations Moreover, another source of data for research should also be investigated such as newspapers, magazines, and other mass media publications to make the research more reliable and persuasive Likewise, background knowledge enrichment also greatly contributes to the success of translators The enrichment of background knowledge is also needed to be carried out on daily basis Background knowledge represents our glimpse of the world Our world continuously changes and evolves; hence, our understanding and knowledge about it undeniably needs constant updating Through reading about various subjects and keeping oneself informed of the latest happenings by reading references, journals, magazines and newspapers Besides, just like a cook who has to take full consideration of the ingredients, it is “a must” 48 for students to gain background knowledge about the kind of texts they are going to translate It is a strong hope that the study with all suggestions above will be a useful reference to help improve the quality of both learning and training at Lang Son College of Education Hopefully, the study will also be a helpful companion for all those who are interested in translation and want to be a professional translator Nevertheless, this is the first time we have had a chance to an action research, getting mistakes during the study is unavoidable Due to the limited time of the research, it is so difficult for us to apply all translation methods and procedures in the translation course as well as get much more information about the students‟ expectation It is, therefore, one of the most limitations of the study However, we believe that the thesis named “Using translation methods and procedures in teaching English-Vietnamese translation for students of Lang Son College of Education” will be able to contribute its reality and usefulness to both the students and teachers in adjusting the learning and teaching method 49 REFERENCES An, V L and Anh, V L (1999) 100 Bài Luyện Dịch Việt - Anh (100 Vietnamese - English Translations) Dong Nai: Dong Nai General Publisher 2.Bell, R (1991), Translation and training theory and practice, Longman, New York Choliludin S.Pd.,(2006), The technique of making idiomatic translation, Jakarta: Kesaint Blanc Catford, J.C (1965/2000) Translation Shifts [First published in 1965] In L Venuti (Ed.), The Translation Studies Reader (pp 141–147) London: Routledge Duff, Alan, Translation Oxford, Oxford University Press E.A Nida and Ch.R Taber, (1983), The theory and practice of translation, Leiden: E.J.Brill, 1982 7.Hung, N T (1986) A Course in the Theory of Translation HCMC: HCMC General Publisher Hatim, B and Mason, I (1990) Discourse and the Translator London and NewYork: Longman 9.Jean Paul Vinay and Jean Darblenet, (2009)“A methodology for translation”, The translation studies reader, 2nd edition, ed L Venuti (London and NewYork: Routledge 10 Jonh Dewy, (1922) Human Nature and Conduct: An Introduction to Social Psychology 11 Kurt Lewin, "Action Research and Minority Problems," Journal of Social Issues (1946): 34-46 12 Newbert, A (1985), Text and Translation, Leipzig: VEB Verlag Enzyklopadie 50 13 Pam, P (1995), Australian English: Style Guide, Cambridge University Press 14.Peter Newmark, (1988),A textbook of translation, Prentice Hall International 15 Peter Newmark, (1988), An approach to translation UK: Pergamon Press Ltd 16 RochayahMachali, Pedoman Bagi Penerjemah, (2009) Jakarta: PT Mizan Pustaka 17 Robinson, D (1999) Becoming a Translator New York: Roultledge 18 S Corey,(1953)Action research to improve school practice, New York: Teachers College, Columbia University, New York 19 Su, L V (2003) Cẩm Nang Luyện Dịch Ngữ Pháp Tiếng Anh Translation & Grammar Ha Noi: Culture and Information Publisher 20 Clem Adelman (1993) Kurt Lewin and the Origins of Action Research, Educational Action Research http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/reac20 21 Gerding-Salas, C (2000) Teaching Translation: Problems and solutions Translation Journal4(3) http://translationjournal.net/journal/13educ.htm 22.http://www.translationdirectory.com/article634.htm 23 http://www.translationdirectory.com/articles/article1265.htm 24 www.tienganhonline.net/grammar.htm 25 http://www.tienganh123.com 51 APPENDICES APPENDIX SURVEY QUESTIONAIRES Dear students, I am doing my thesis about English- Vietnamese translation methods and procedures at Lang Son College This survey is aimed to seek the best translation methods and procedures in teaching English – Vietnamese translation at our college Please circle the suitable answer for each question in accordance with each instruction Thanks for your cooperation How you feel about learning translation? A Interesting and helpful B Difficult but interesting C Difficult and boring D Easy and helpless What is the biggest challenge you have to face when translating from English to Vietnamese? A Choosing the appropriate meaning of vocabulary from context meaning B Misunderstanding about culture C Lack of vocabulary D Mistranslation subordinate clause which are complex and difficult to master E Others: ………………… What you often when you encounter new words? A Look up its meaning by using dictionary B Ignore it and translate other words, then go back to guess from context C Skip it and translate others D Ask your friend or your teacher I E Others: ………………………… What you to prepare for your lesson before class? A Prepare new vocabulary B Prepare grammar structures need to be used C Try to translate it and wait for feedback in class D Just read it and nothing E Do nothing to prepare What you often after you finish your translation? A Share with your friends B Read it again to correct some mistakes if have C Read it again and try to translate it in another way D Wait for teacher‟s feedback E Others: ………………………… What you to improve your translation skill? A Learning vocabulary B Doing grammar exercises from grammar books or from internet C Reviewing teacher‟s feedback to learn vocabulary, grammar and way of using vocabulary D Reading and practicing translating from newspaper, magazines, article from English to Vietnamese and vice versa E All the above What has a great influence on your interested in translation? A Teaching method B Teaching material C Topic of translation II D Your own ability (Ex: some weakness in grammar and vocabulary) E Others: ………………… Do you think the teacher and his teaching method strongly affect you interested in studying translation? A Strongly agree B Quite agree C Disagree D No ideas III APPENDIX INTERVIEW QUESTIONS What are some difficulties you usually face with when translate a text from English into Vietnamese? Which methods and procedures you usually use in translating a text from English into Vietnamese? What are your expectations in learning translation from the teacher? IV APPENDIX TEST The researcher designed such test in order to explore the difficulties and problems that face the students of Lang Son College in the translation process from English to Vietnamese and find out the best methods and procedures in learning translation You are kindly requested answer the test seriously in order to assist the student to overcome such difficulties and problems and find out the most suitable method ones Name of student: Class: _ College: _ Q1 - Translate the followings (literal, metaphorical, descriptive translation): Questions Translation 1- He has a big plan ……………………………… 2-Alice listens to the music every morning 3-Your eyes are two palm orchard at daybreak 4-Keep silent ……………………………… ……………………………… ……………………………… 5- He was a failure in art ……………………………… 6-How beautiful you are! ……………………………… 7-The American Senate ……………………………… 8- His speech contains very big ……………………………… words Q2 –Translate the following sentences (stative, non-stative, compound, definite, indefinite, dual, gender, and noun): Questions Translation 1-The students are inthe laboratory ……………………………… ……………………………… V 2-The director will hold a meeting next Friday ……………………………… 3-Peter quittedschool, continued her studies ……………………………… but ……………………………… Jane ……………………………… 4-The field across the street is filled ……………………………… with beautiful wild flowers in ……………………………… spring 5- The train had already left when ……………………………… we arrived at the station 6- The two soldiers left this ……………………………… morning 7-The hero and heroine got married ……………………………… at the end of the film ……………………………… 8- One day, a dog entered an inn, ……………………………… stole a piece of meat and ran ……………………………… away with it 9-The public supports the present ……………………………… Government measures ……………………………… Q 3-Translate the following proverbs or idioms: Questions Translation 1- Birds of feather flock together ……………………………… ……………………………… 2- Half a loaf is better than no bread ……………………………… ……………………………… 3- No guide, no realization ……………………………… ……………………………… 4- Practice makes perfect ……………………………… ……………………………… 5-As black as coal ……………………………… 6- Gain through pain ……………………………… 7-As smooth as butter ……………………………… ……… Q 4-Translate the following sentences or paragraphs: VI 1- We have, in association with the Vietnamese Assurance Association and the local press, provided necessary information about insurance products and services ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… 2- The Vietnamese delegation will visit facilities in Fredericton and throughout the potato belt to study the propagation of disease-free potato seed stock, seed potato testing and certification as well as storage and processing equipment and farm machinery ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… 3- The Community is in the process of pursuing solutions to a number of these obstacles ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… 4- Of the areas of science that are important not just to the future of knowledge but to life on this planet, few are more promising than genetic engineering, which is a new way of manipulating the elemental structures and units of life itself, which are the genes and chromosomes that direct our cells how to reproduce and become the parts that constitute our bodies ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… VII ... Using translation methods and procedures in teaching English-Vietnamese translation for students of Lang Son College of Education( Ứng dụng phƣơng pháp thủ thuật dịch vào dạy dịch AnhViệt cho Sinh... procedures used for an English translation course at Lang Son College of Education Methods of the study Being an English teacher at Lang Son College of Education, after years of teaching translation, ... concept of translation, types of translation, principles of translation, process of translation and methods and procedures of translation The second chapter describes the methodology of doing this